Episode 36: Alionka Polanco

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Alionka Polanco is a Life Fulfillment Coach whose goal is to help people unfold the possibilities in their life, rise like the sun, and recognize their own brilliance. She is geared towards happiness and fulfillment regardless of achievement level. She is a dream accelerator and a possibility seer, and she is obsessed with helping people create the life of their dreams.

 

PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Chris: I believe we need this; we need to have more women stepping out into entrepreneurship and more women out in leadership. I think the shift is from this very left-brain men’s world wherein it’s very driven around money to what you’re talking about.

01:03 – Chris: “I truly think this; there are is way too many people who have learnt the Science of Success, but no one knows the Art of Fulfillment.”

01:17 – Meet Alionka Polanco, a Life Fulfillment coach – completely dedicated to helping people feel happy and feel fulfilled in their lives.

02:20 – Who she is, what she’s been up to, and what she’s really excited about. A Life Fulfillment coach, Alionka’s highest mission is to help people be happy in this life. She firmly believes that no one was put here to suffer, and so is geared towards helping people figure out what their success really means. A lot of people she works with have achieved a high level of success, but are still discontent or unhappy. She helps people figure out the “feelings” aspect of their life.

03:24 – Chris: “I feel like we’re so driven by ‘I’m not good enough’s and ‘I could be better’s.”

03:53 – Alionka’s Story: her decisions and turning points that have led her to place she is now. The daughter of an immigrant couple, Alionka was born in New Jersey – first generation American. Her parents – much like, according to her, a lot of other immigrants – cared very deeply about her career. Her success was their success. Unfortunately, that put a lot of pressure on her to be a Straight-A Student, to get into a certain college, and to land a specific job. President of her class, editor of the Yearbook, part of the Drama class, and a Straight-A Student to boot, Alionka’s younger years were colored by the constant pressure to be better. Although her parents wanted her to be a teacher, she decided to go to school for acting – a decision that surprised everyone. That moment marked the first time she decided to do something that made her happy.  But she knew she would be miserable taking other classes. In fact, she shares a quote her father would repeat constantly: “The point of life is happiness.”

05:46 – halfway through her senior year, she realized that taking acting wasn’t making her happy either. Her parents immediately jumped at the chance to remind her that she could become a teacher – what they had been pushing for all along. She remembers feeling so disappointed that she made a wrong decision that she decided to follow her parents’ wishes and earn her Masters in education. In the end, however, that degree still didn’t make her happy. She did a lot of soul searching in Colombia that summer, asking herself : “What am I actually here to do? What’s my reason?”

06:59 – She eventually realized that her passion lay in helping people. One Google Search later (for “alternative careers for teachers”), she came across the term “Life Coaching.”

09:10 – Chris praises Alionka for possessing an acute level of Self-Awareness, which manifested in all the decisions she’s made so far. How important is Self-Awareness? It’s doubly important in Alionka’s careers as Life Coach because that concept is exactly what she teachers: Self-Awareness. For the people who have self-awareness know that there’s something that they need to be doing but they’re not doing. What processes does Alionka go through to take actions: two words – “Do it.” We can talk about what you want, but we can’t get anywhere if there’s no action being taken.

“But what if I fail?”

What if it goes wrong?”

11:57 – this is what Alionka helps her client’s with – for the most part. “Everyone has this fear of failing.” It doesn’t matter what level of success you get to: the fear is always there. It doesn’t go away. “So if we know that fear is gonna be a constant in our lives, can we really let it dictate the choices that we make? I always have to … remind myself of this: is the action I’m taking based in hope, or is it based in fear? … They’re not tangible. I can’t touch fear, I can’t touch hope. They weigh the same, they just take me [on] different routes.”

13:59 – What advice would Alionka give for other “Gen Y’s” or Millennialls? How do they find their life purpose? In Alionka’s opinion, maybe more people aren’t advancing the way they want to because they’re “missing the models”. I work with a lot of Trailblazers, Alionka says. If you look at the world “Trailblazer”, it basically means “Someone who is blazing a new path.” And that’s not easy.

15:15 – For those who have yet to find their life purpose, or for those who aren’t willing to try, Alionka comes up with the analogy of standing at the edge of woods, staring at a familiar fork. There’s a path leading to the right and a path leading to the left. You know what’s at the end of the right path; you’ve gone down it a thousand times. It’s comfortable. But always, at the edge of your vision, you see the left path. For the person standing at the edge of those woods, Alionka advises that you pause, take a deep breath … and take the left.

17:24 – When it comes to entrepreneurship, or trying something new in general, most people choose one of two options: jump in, both feet first (which really hurts), or dip your toe in and get nowhere.

18:12 – For somebody that wants to take a chance and make a change, Alionka insists: you have to get help. “Help is paramount to success.”

20:08 – Chris: “So many people think; ‘aw, if I ask for help, then I’m broken. Then I’m not good enough to do it myself. Here’s the truth… you’ll do it yourself. It’ll just take you a lot longer.”

21:55 – So … what is a Life Coach? A life coach is someone who is there to help you maximize your greatest tool – which is you.

23:24 – Chris jumps in quick to add a very important distinction. There is a difference between a coach, a mentor, and a teacher. A mentor is someone who has already been there (i.e., think Tiger Woods for gold enthusiasts). A teacher, as the name suggests, teaches someone how to do it. Teachers are very good at articulating and clarifying, and they teach small pieces of the overall whole. What’s more, they don’t necessarily have to have reached the level you are trying to achieve. A coach is someone who gets you out of your own way. A coach pushes you, challenges your mindset, and encourages improvement. For a more detailed breakdown, check out Chris’s video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nTH3xjJ-PA

28:57 – Alionka leaves the listeners with this: the message of follow your heart. You are not wrong for following your heart. So many people feel like there’s something wrong with them for wanting to be different. Know that you are so on track.

To get more from Alionka, visit her official website: http://alionkapolanco.com/ or connect with her on her Facebook page or LinkedIn Profile: https://www.facebook.com/alionkapolanco/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/alionkapolanco.